Crime Reduction Alone Cannot Measure JCF Transformation — Commissioner Blake
Crime Reduction Alone Cannot Measure JCF Transformation — Commissioner Blake
Commissioner of Police Dr Kevin Blake says reductions in violent crime, while important, cannot by themselves determine whether the Jamaica Constabulary Force is being successfully transformed.
Writing in his latest Commissioner’s Corner column, published in the weekly Force Orders, Dr Blake said the conduct of individual members and the manner in which they exercise police authority must also form part of any assessment of the organisation’s progress.
“Our transformation cannot be measured by crime statistics alone. The true measure of the institution we are building will also be found in how we treat people, how we exercise authority, how we make decisions, how we account for our actions, and how we conduct ourselves when nobody is watching.”
Dr Blake acknowledged the Force’s success in reducing violent crime and said this had been supported by sustained investment in the JCF and cooperation from stakeholders.
“We have demonstrated that, with the support of our stakeholders and adequate investment in the JCF, we have the resolve to confront the crime monster that has plagued our country for decades,” he said. “The progress we have made is significant, and we should be proud of it.”
The Commissioner, however, placed responsibility for the continued transformation of the JCF on members at every level of the organisation.
“Transformation is not something that belongs only to the Commissioner, the executive, or those who lead from the top. Transformation is what each of us does with the responsibility entrusted to us, every day, wherever we serve.”
Dr Blake said each generation of police officers inherits the organisation and has a duty to determine the condition in which it will be passed to those who follow.
“Every generation of police officers inherits an organisation. But every generation also has a responsibility to determine what that organisation will become,” he said.
He urged members to examine the legacy they are building through their decisions, professional conduct and influence on their colleagues.
